scholarly journals Peptide models for membrane channels

1996 ◽  
Vol 315 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek MARSH
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Lipid Bilayer Membranes ◽  
Transmembrane Peptides ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Peptide Models ◽  
Ion Channel Proteins ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels ◽  
Pore Lining

Peptides may be synthesized with sequences corresponding to putative transmembrane domains and/or pore-lining regions that are deduced from the primary structures of ion channel proteins. These can then be incorporated into lipid bilayer membranes for structural and functional studies. In addition to the ability to invoke ion channel activity, critical issues are the secondary structures adopted and the mode of assembly of these short transmembrane peptides in the reconstituted systems. The present review concentrates on results obtained with peptides from ligand-gated and voltage-gated ion channels, as well as proton-conducting channels. These are considered within the context of current molecular models and the limited data available on the structure of native ion channels and natural channel-forming peptides.

WHAT CAUSES ION CHANNEL PROTEINS TO FLUCTUATE OPEN AND CLOSED?

1996 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 321-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
LARRY S. LIEBOVITCH ◽  
ANGELO T. TODOROV
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Patch Clamp ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Sodium Potassium ◽  
Random Event ◽  
Channel Protein ◽  
Channel Proteins ◽  
Ion Channel Proteins ◽  
Open States

Ion channels in the cell membrane spontaneously switch from states that are closed to the flow of ions such as sodium, potassium, and chloride to states that are open to the flow of these ions. The durations of times that an individual ion channel protein spends in the closed and open states can be measured by the patch clamp technique. We explore two basic issues about the molecular properties of ion channels: 1) If the switching between the closed and open state is an inherently random event, what does the patch clamp data tell us about the structure or motions in the ion channel protein? 2) Is this switching random?

Voltage-Gated Ion Channels and Hereditary Disease

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 1317-1372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Lehmann-Horn ◽  
Karin Jurkat-Rott
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Recombinant Dna ◽  
Hereditary Disease ◽  
Hereditary Diseases ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Myotonia Congenita ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels ◽  
Gated Ion Channels

By the introduction of technological advancement in methods of structural analysis, electronics, and recombinant DNA techniques, research in physiology has become molecular. Additionally, focus of interest has been moving away from classical physiology to become increasingly centered on mechanisms of disease. A wonderful example for this development, as evident by this review, is the field of ion channel research which would not be nearly as advanced had it not been for human diseases to clarify. It is for this reason that structure-function relationships and ion channel electrophysiology cannot be separated from the genetic and clinical description of ion channelopathies. Unique among reviews of this topic is that all known human hereditary diseases of voltage-gated ion channels are described covering various fields of medicine such as neurology (nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, benign neonatal convulsions, episodic ataxia, hemiplegic migraine, deafness, stationary night blindness), nephrology (X-linked recessive nephrolithiasis, Bartter), myology (hypokalemic and hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, myotonia congenita, paramyotonia, malignant hyperthermia), cardiology (LQT syndrome), and interesting parallels in mechanisms of disease emphasized. Likewise, all types of voltage-gated ion channels for cations (sodium, calcium, and potassium channels) and anions (chloride channels) are described together with all knowledge about pharmacology, structure, expression, isoforms, and encoding genes.

scholarly journals Approaches for unveiling the kinetic mechanisms of voltage gated ion channels in neurons

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Marco Antonio Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Ion Channels ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Rate Constants ◽  
Markov Models ◽  
Neuronal Firing ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels ◽  
Parameter Constraints ◽  
Gated Ion Channels

Ionic currents drive cellular function within all living cells to perform highly specific tasks. For excitable cells, such as muscle and neurons, voltage-gated ion channels have finely tuned kinetics that allow the transduction of Action potentials to other cells. Voltage-gated ion channels are molecular machines that open and close depending on electrical potential. Neuronal firing rates are largely determined by the overall availability of voltage-gated Na+ and K+ currents.This work describes new approaches for collecting and analyzing experimental data that can be used to streamline experiments. Ion channels are composed of multimeric complexes regulated by intracellular factors producing complex kinetics. The stochastic behavior of thousands of individual ion hannels coordinates to produce cellular activity. To describe their activity and test hypotheses about the channel, experimenters often fit Markov models to a set of experimental data. Markov models are defined by a set of states, whose transitions described by rate constants. To improve the modeling process, we have developed computational approaches to introduce kinetic constraints that reduces the parameter search space. This work describes the implementation and mathematical transformations required to describe linear and non-linear parameter constraints that govern rate constants. Not all ion channel behaviors can easily be described by rate constants. Therefore, we developed and implemented a penalty-based mechanism that can be used to guide the optimization engine to produce a model with a desired behavior, such as single-channel open probability and use dependent effects. To streamline data collection for experiments in brain slice preparations, we developed a 3D virtual software environment that incorporates data from micro-positioning motors and scientific cameras in real-time. This environment provides positional feedback to the investigator and allows for the creation of data maps including both images and electrical recordings. We have also produced semi-automatic targeting procedures that simplifies the overall experimental experience. Experimentally, this work also examines how the kinetic mechanism of voltage gated Na channels regulates the neuronal firing of brainstem respiratory neurons. These raphe neurons are intrinsic pacemakers that do not rely on synaptic connections to elicit activity. I explored how intracellular calcium regulates the kinetics of TTX-sensitive Na+ currents using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology. Established with intracellular Ca2+ buffers, high [Ca2+] levels greater than ~7 [micro]M did not change the voltage dependence of steady-state activation and inactivation, but slightly slowed inactivation time course. However, the recovery from inactivation and use dependence inactivation is slowed by high intracellular [Ca2+]. Overall, these approaches described in this work have improved data acquisition and data analysis to create better ion channel models and enhance the electrophysiology experience.

Ion channels and disease

2020 ◽  
pp. 246-255
Author(s):  
Frances Ashcroft ◽  
Paolo Tammaro
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Channel Structure ◽  
Channel Proteins ◽  
Channel Function ◽  
Ion Channel Proteins ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Channel Currents

Ion channels are membrane proteins that act as gated pathways for the movement of ions across cell membranes. They are found in both surface and intracellular membranes and play essential roles in the physiology of all cell types. An ever-increasing number of human diseases are now known to be caused by defects in ion channel function. To understand how ion channel defects give rise to disease, it is helpful to understand how the ion channel proteins work. This chapter therefore considers what is known of ion channel structure, explains the properties of the single ion channel, and shows how single-channel currents give rise to action potentials and synaptic potentials.

scholarly journals Fluorescence Imaging of Electrically Stimulated Cells

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 660-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Burnett ◽  
Janet K. Robertson ◽  
Jeffrey M. Palmer ◽  
Richard R. Ryan ◽  
Adrienne E. Dubin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Ion Channels ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Voltage Gradient ◽  
Channel Activity ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels ◽  
Gated Ion Channels

Designing high-throughput screens for voltage-gated ion channels has been a tremendous challenge for the pharmaceutical industry because channel activity is dependent on the transmembrane voltage gradient, a stimulus unlike ligand binding to G-protein-coupled receptors or ligand-gated ion channels. To achieve an acceptable throughput, assays to screen for voltage-gated ion channel modulators that are employed today rely on pharmacological intervention to activate these channels. These interventions can introduce artifacts. Ideally, a high-throughput screen should not compromise physiological relevance. Hence, a more appropriate method would activate voltage-gated ion channels by altering plasma membrane potential directly, via electrical stimulation, while simultaneously recordingthe operation of the channel in populations of cells. The authors present preliminary results obtained from a device that is designed to supply precise and reproducible electrical stimuli to populations of cells. Changes in voltage-gated ion channel activity were monitored using a digital fluorescent microscope. The prototype electric field stimulation (EFS) device provided real-time analysis of cellular responsiveness to physiological and pharmacological stimuli. Voltage stimuli applied to SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells cultured on the EFS device evoked membrane potential changes that were dependent on activation of voltage-gated sodium channels. Data obtained using digital fluorescence microscopy suggests suitability of this system for HTS.

scholarly journals Ion channel regulation by protein S-acylation

2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (6) ◽  
pp. 659-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Shipston
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Ion Channels ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Physiological Function ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Cysteine Residues ◽  
Acid Modification ◽  
Ion Channel Regulation ◽  
Channel Function ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels

Protein S-acylation, the reversible covalent fatty-acid modification of cysteine residues, has emerged as a dynamic posttranslational modification (PTM) that controls the diversity, life cycle, and physiological function of numerous ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels. S-acylation is enzymatically mediated by a diverse family of acyltransferases (zDHHCs) and is reversed by acylthioesterases. However, for most ion channels, the dynamics and subcellular localization at which S-acylation and deacylation cycles occur are not known. S-acylation can control the two fundamental determinants of ion channel function: (1) the number of channels resident in a membrane and (2) the activity of the channel at the membrane. It controls the former by regulating channel trafficking and the latter by controlling channel kinetics and modulation by other PTMs. Ion channel function may be modulated by S-acylation of both pore-forming and regulatory subunits as well as through control of adapter, signaling, and scaffolding proteins in ion channel complexes. Importantly, cross-talk of S-acylation with other PTMs of both cysteine residues by themselves and neighboring sites of phosphorylation is an emerging concept in the control of ion channel physiology. In this review, I discuss the fundamentals of protein S-acylation and the tools available to investigate ion channel S-acylation. The mechanisms and role of S-acylation in controlling diverse stages of the ion channel life cycle and its effect on ion channel function are highlighted. Finally, I discuss future goals and challenges for the field to understand both the mechanistic basis for S-acylation control of ion channels and the functional consequence and implications for understanding the physiological function of ion channel S-acylation in health and disease.

scholarly journals Functional Studies and Modeling of Pore-Lining Residue Mutants of the Influenza A Virus M2 Ion Channel

Biochemistry ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 696-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Balannik ◽  
Vincenzo Carnevale ◽  
Giacomo Fiorin ◽  
Benjamin G. Levine ◽  
Robert A. Lamb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channel ◽  
Influenza A Virus ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Pore Lining

Channelopathies: Their Contribution to Our Knowledge About Voltage-Gated Ion Channels

Physiology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
F Lehmann-Horn ◽  
R Rudel
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Ion Channels ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Chloride Channels ◽  
Gene Products ◽  
Sodium Potassium ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels

Since 1990, many mutations in genes encoding voltage-dependent sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride channels have been discovered to cause disorders of heart, skeletal muscle, brain, or kidney. Study of the defective gene products has furthered our knowledge not only of pathology but also of ion-channel function.

scholarly journals Precise control of ion channel and gap junction expression is required for patterning of the regenerating axolotl limb

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (10-11-12) ◽  
pp. 485-494
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Sousounis ◽  
Burcu Erdogan ◽  
Michael Levin ◽  
Jessica L. Whited
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Ion Channel ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Transcriptional Networks ◽  
Channel Proteins ◽  
Junction Protein ◽  
Ion Channel Proteins ◽  
Voltage Gradients

Axolotls and other salamanders have the capacity to regenerate lost tissue after an amputation or injury. Growth and morphogenesis are coordinated within cell groups in many contexts by the interplay of transcriptional networks and biophysical properties such as ion flows and voltage gradients. It is not, however, known whether regulators of a cell’s ionic state are involved in limb patterning at later stages of regeneration. Here we manipulated expression and activities of ion channels and gap junctions in vivo, in axolotl limb blastema cells. Limb amputations followed by retroviral infections were performed to drive expression of a human gap junction protein Connexin 26 (Cx26), potassium (Kir2.1-Y242F and Kv1.5) and sodium (NeoNav1.5) ion channel proteins along with EGFP control. Skeletal preparation revealed that overexpressing Cx26 caused syndactyly, while overexpression of ion channel proteins resulted in digit loss and structural abnormalities compared to EGFP expressing control limbs. Additionally, we showed that exposing limbs to the gap junction inhibitor lindane during the regeneration process caused digit loss. Our data reveal that manipulating native ion channel and gap junction function in blastema cells results in patterning defects involving the number and structure of the regenerated digits. Gap junctions and ion channels have been shown to mediate ion flows that control the endogenous voltage gradients which are tightly associated with the regulation of gene expression, cell cycle progression, migration, and other cellular behaviors. Therefore, we postulate that mis-expression of these channels may have disturbed this regulation causing uncoordinated cell behavior which results in morphological defects.

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